


Scarred Heart

by LyricalWandering



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dangan Ronpa 1 Spoilers, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Naegiri - Freeform, Naegiri Week, Naegiri Week 2020, Scars, barely an au really, just a slight difference in timing in chapter 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28011837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricalWandering/pseuds/LyricalWandering
Summary: Slight AU where Trial 6 breaks for an overnight recess before the Mastermind is revealed. Kyoko and Makoto spend the extra time they have trying to come to conclusions on the Mastermind's identity...and just how much they can trust each other. Spoilers ahead for Trigger Happy Havoc!
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 16
Kudos: 55





	Scarred Heart

**Author's Note:**

> For Naegiri Week 2020's Day 5 Prompt, "Touch". I actually started writing this the day after I finished watching a let's play of Trigger Happy Havoc, maybe at the beginning of October. I was really inspired by Makoto and Kyoko's friendship in-game, and finding out that they were a canon ship later was icing on the cake. Hoping this works for the prompt, as it wasn't specifically written for it but still incorporates the theme in a way (I think). Really hope you guys enjoy this one!

"Makoto."

The sound of his name spoken in her voice made him halt his movements on instinct. 

Makoto Naegi's fingers had barely touched the brass knob on her front door to let himself out for the night, even though he'd been (very) reluctant to leave after their traditional post-trial brain storming session. And not just because this one had almost cost them both their own lives, if it hadn't been for each of their quick wits and her courage to rescue him later. His thoughts were colliding with one another like dizzy children, but at the center of the chaos was her calm.

"Y-yeah, Kiri? What's-"

He cut himself off as he turned around and saw her expression. When he did, a mild panic shook him as he registered how she looked.

She looked...*exhausted*. 

Which was exceptionally out of character for Kyoko Kirigiri, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to keep as unreadable and expressionless as humanly possible. Despite that making her seem anything but human to most, at times.

But more than that right then, Makoto could tell something was brewing beneath that strong exterior shield of hers. Something that made his skin prick with worry. Looking at her tired expression, he was suddenly faced with an urge to dare to try and comfort her. 

Was that a good idea? Everyone could use a hug sometimes, right? Especially after just having narrowly escaped death...

He cleared his throat, waiting patiently for her to clue him in on why she'd stopped him from leaving. She took her time doing so in typical Kirigiri fashion of course, standing at the foot of her bed with her eyes narrowed and one gloved hand supporting her chin.

After what felt like a while, Kyoko raised her eyes to meet his.

"I...hm. haven't really expressed my true appreciation to you for trying to protect my secret from Monokuma and the others. I'd like to do so now."

Makoto tilted his head in confusion at first, trying to work out the deeper meaning beneath what she was trying to tell him. Could she mean the skeleton key...?

"Oh!" 

Makoto started, hiding his surprised expression behind his arm as he pretended to clear his throat again.

"It's really nothing! Don't worry about it, heh. I just..." he suddenly trailed off and grew quiet, for some reason his mind wandering elsewhere. His eyes focused on the hand under her chin and remembered the heartless exposure Kyoko had complied with during the first half of the trial earlier that day, the second half of which would take place first thing tomorrow. The exposure that had been used to prove her innocence in the ongoing case of Mukuro Ikusaba's murder and the true identity of the Mastermind.

Makoto had watched helplessly as his friend was left with no choice but to remove her gloves before the entire courtroom, and (now that they knew), thousands of viewers from all around the globe. As always, Kyoko had been as nonchalant as ever, regretting that such invasive measures had to be taken to reveal her hands, but understanding the need to examine her scarred skin all the same.

Except that her cool facade had been a lie. Makoto had seen the shadow of a flinch in her poker face when Monokuma had jeered and described her burns as "grotesque".

A dark, low burning rage had begun to kindle itself at the bottom of his stomach in that room. It desired nothing more than to roar and spit towards his Headmaster, towards the Mastermind, and even a little towards his other classmates for their harshness against a friend who had tirelessly dedicated her efforts to getting them out of the hell they were imprisoned in.

"You shouldn't have had to show them your hands if you didn't want to." Makoto said quietly, his tone as dark as that fire stoking within him from earlier.

Kyoko didn't seem surprised by this shift in topic. She merely shrugged, humming a small note of affirmation.

"I suppose it needed to be done. I may wish otherwise, but it's definitely better than being accused of attacking you, or being blamed for Mukuro's death."

"Hmph...well yeah, speaking from experience, I can attest to how *not* fun any of that is." Makoto chuckled softly, looking up from his shoes to find that Kyoko had cracked a small smile herself.

"Makoto. Don't go yet. I...there's another way I'd like to thank you. And not just with words."

He really couldn't help how her unintentional implication suddenly startled him.

"Huh?! Oh Kyoko no, I, t-that won't be necessary!! I could never-"

But her curious expression and raised eyebrow promptly shut him the hell up.

"Hm? But you don't even know what I'm about to...oh my." A deep, rose colored blush tinted her cheeks as she realized the error in her proposal.

"That's...*not* what I meant. Obviously." She mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes. She brushed a few gloved fingers over her bedsheets before lowering herself to sit on the edge. Makoto waited with baited breath, wondering for a moment why that was such a beautiful thing to watch her do.

"I *meant* to tell you something. That I think I'm ready." Kyoko said, with such an air of finality that Makoto wasn't sure how to respond...or if he should respond at all, for that matter.

But after a few long seconds of silence and Kyoko staring at him expectantly, he took the risk.

"Uh, ready? What for?"

Kyoko stared quietly down at her gloved hands, now folded neatly in her lap. It took her another few moments to speak. That's how Makoto knew whatever she was planning to do or say was hard for her.

"I think I'm ready to share something with you. You've become my friend, and you have shown me all your trust, even when it almost cost you your own life to do so. As uncomfortable as it makes me, I'd like to return the favor, and let you see my scars up close for yourself. There's...more to the story too, but I'm going to try to take small steps for now." She finished with a weak smile.

Makoto stayed firmly planted where he was, stunned by this show of faith in him. He knew how hard that was for her...

To put faith in anything but her own two hands.

"But, Kiri." He answered softly, seeing her shoulders relax a bit at the familiar nickname he'd given her.

While mainly translating to "fog", the shortened version of her last name was also shared by a beautiful tree native to Japan. As lovely as the flowering tree was however, Makoto liked to imagine Kyoko as a tall willow instead; branches bent to touch it's leaves to the cool water of a stream. The same way she always seemed to reach out to help him.

"It must have been terrible not having a choice but to share something so vulnerable about yourself. And what Monokuma said was...awfully heartless and cruel."

His voice broke as he choked up. He couldn't help but hurt for her.

"I don't want you feeling like you have to show me anything you don't want to, okay? I care about you very much and hate seeing you in any kind of pain." He confessed a fraction of his true feelings in that last part, but of course, Kyoko had nothing if not a determined mind. 

"But Makoto I *want* to show you. And you alone. That's all."

She looked up to meet his eyes this time. They were bright with hope, and edged with the trust she protected for him. There was something intimately beautiful about the way she wanted to share this part of herself, and for some reason, she'd chosen to share it with him.

Makoto realized that this was a really big deal for her; a girl raised to follow in her family's legacy and keep to the shadows as an investigator. Someone who showed no outward fear or emotion, who *couldn't* lose her cool, the one responsible for answering the unanswered and not getting attached.

Her lifestyle and job couldn't allow for those simple, emotional luxuries. The ones most people took for granted, she'd had to banish from her mind and heart.

"It was too risky, back then." Kyoko interrupted his thoughts, and Makoto wondered for the thousandth time if she actually *could* read minds.

"For me to get so attached to my partner when we were both still in training...and then to invest my confidence in someone I couldn't have known entirely. It was my own fault."

Makoto's mouth was dry. She was talking about her past to him, for the first time. He didn't know all of the details yet, but he felt certain that whatever had happened to cause those scars and those walls to be built up so high, it *couldn't* have been her fault.

Bracing himself for possible rejection, he began to tread toward the bed to sit beside her anyway. Carefully, slowly. Like advancing to a deer with your palm outstretched, trying to communicate without hollow words that you come in peace.

(Please, Kyoko..) he thought.

(Let me in.)

She didn't seem bothered as he reached the bed and slowly sat down beside her, their knees almost touching. He could feel her warmth and it gave him butterflies.

"Kiri," he said quietly. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I know I don't know much yet, and you can tell me when you're ready, or not at all. But...please. Whatever happened? Please don't blame yourself like that. Stuff can go wrong, and it can leave you hurt. The same way things here at Hope's Peak have been going. People were forced to do things they would never do otherwise. Circumstances can get terrible, and no one is immune to getting hurt at some point."

Makoto tried to reach her in a way that didn't sound like he was pitying or talking down to her. He silently hoped it hadn't come across that way.

Kyoko sighed after a moment, nodding.

"As highly illogical as it would be to believe that we're not all responsible for our own actions, I can, however, see your point. Being under duress can severely impair someone's otherwise sound judgment." She paused then, biting her lip.

(That's new...) Makoto thought, trying not to stare.

But his eyes only grew wider when Kyoko gave another decisive nod, looking directly at him as her right thumb and forefinger reached for her left hand's glove.

"I trust that you know you'll be the only person outside of my family and the occasional doctor who has ever yet to see me like this."

Makoto held his breath, watching with an aching heart as her fingers began to (almost unnoticeably) tremble, and the black leather slowly pulled away to reveal uneven, burned skin.

He was afraid that she was forcing herself to do this, to show herself to him in this way to settle some nonexistent debt, and yet he couldn't stop her. She would think that he didn't want to see, that he thought her scars were unbearable to look at. But they weren't. They were hers, and that was that.

After another moment, she was finished tugging her right glove off. Kyoko placed the pair of studded leather beside her on the mattress but just out of reach, like she wanted to make sure she couldn't reach for them in a moment of weakness.

Makoto realized then that earlier during the trial, she had only pulled each glove down just enough to pass as evidence of her innocence to their peers and judge. But now, she had actually removed them. Both of them, completely. For him.

"Well...here they are." Kyoko managed, but it was barely above a whisper.

She held her bare hands out for him to see, first the palms and then the backs. The skin appeared coarse and uneven where it had healed. The burns had traced long lines up and down her palms, and had given a darker contrast to her normal skin tone. A few areas still had spots where one could clearly see the thermal trauma.

Makoto studied them as Kyoko bared her secrets to him, and he did his best not to show any emotion lest he scare her back into believing that no one was worth trusting. He wanted her to trust him more than anything. And by showing him this sacred part of her, he knew with an intense certainty in that moment that she did.

"I'm sorry if it's...hard to look."

He heard her voice waver for the first time since knowing her, and looked up into her eyes. Anyone else would miss it, but Makoto wasn't anyone else. Her eyes were wet.

"They really are a shock, aren't they? The skin never healed properly and that's left them in this rather ugly state. I..."

But Kyoko couldn't finish. Without thinking, Makoto began to reach out to her, giving her time to stop him in case she wanted to. She didn't.

Nervous but determined nevertheless, his fingers found and grazed her own, feeling his heart jump to his throat at the contact. He braced himself to continue despite his anxiety.

Gently taking both her hands in his, he cherished the feeling of holding her, starting to skim his thumbs over her skin in little patterns. He heard her gasp, and he was overcome with emotion despite his best efforts to focus on staying calm.

"These hands...your hands, are beautiful."

He wasn't thinking at all when he told her the truth. And he was sure he'd never thought ahead a day in his life when he dared to ask what he did next on instinct.

"Um...can I...try something?" he breathed. He was amazed when after a moment of silence, she nodded her consent.

Makoto lifted Kyoko's right hand to his face then, meeting her eyes briefly before pressing a soft kiss first to the top, then slowly turning it over to kiss her palm.  
His lips met her skin and it felt like all was right in the world.

Kyoko's eyes were wide with wonder, and the blush from earlier was coloring her entire face. Her lips were parted in surprise, a small "oh.." falling from them when Makoto dared to kiss her other hand too, top and palm just like he'd done with the first.

He smiled at her as he held onto her beautiful hands; hands that worked hard and tended to wounded friends. Hands that protected and wrote in journals. Hands that he wanted to hold. Hands that he *was* holding.

"See, Kiri? You're beautiful." He whispered, continuing to caress her skin with his thumbs. He could feel her tremble just the slightest again, and concern clouded his mind for a moment.

"Uh, s-sorry if that was...weird. Are you okay?" He asked, scared that he'd pushed her or done something wrong. Sure, they were friends, and she trusted him, but maybe that's all they were? Experimentally, he tried to pull back. But when he did, she gripped onto him, hard.

"You...really think that?" She asked him, swallowing hard and no longer meeting his eyes.

"Of course I do." His answer was automatic, a no-brainer. "You're the most beautiful girl I know. Not to mention you could kick my ass if you wanted to." He joked, and seeing her lovely smile filled his heart with new hope.

"Makoto," she said softly, and hearing his name and her voice thrilled him once again.

"I..." her voice caught and the word lingered in the air as he waited for her to go on.

"Perhaps I've never thought that way. About myself."

Makoto's heart throbbed with pain for her. How could she not see? How could anyone have left this rare, indescribable young woman feeling abandoned or betrayed? 

His eyes narrowed with determination, wanting nothing more than to uplift her.

"Kiri, you-"

"Until I met you."

He blinked as her words took him for a loop. Was...was he hearing what he thought he was hearing? Did she really...

But he wasn't allowed the time he needed to process her confession. Because next thing he knew, his mind was drawing a blank and his ears were fuzzy. Kyoko's eyes were locked onto his, her hands still clasped tightly in his own, and she was leaning closer, and closer, and he could feel the warmth of her breath caress his cheek like maybe he'd always wanted...

Kissing her, for the first time, was what he'd wanted, he realized then. 

Ever since she'd stood up for him, the night of the first class trial when she'd found her way to his room to reach out to a grieving friend. She'd given hope to his hopeless heart that night, and he'd wondered just why it had shaken him to his core to see her standing in his doorway.

He'd be embarrassed to admit how many times he'd almost allowed himself to think of kissing her since that day. And now here she was, kissing him. For real this time.

The soft, wet pressure, the taste of vanilla, the exchange of breath, the swarm of tingling energy that rushed his body as he was made aware of her.

It felt so good he could have passed out.

It was gentle, searching. Like she'd never been that vulnerable to anyone, which (he was sure) she hadn't. It was his first kiss, and he only hoped (as he did his best to reciprocate her movements) that he was able to make her feel as good as she was making him feel.

What felt like forever couldn't have been more than a minute, but when she pulled back Makoto couldn't contain a tiny groan, the absence of her making something hollow ache within him. He wished that they could lock her door, ignore the crazy reality they were living in and never stop kissing.

He hadn't realized how tightly his eyes were shut, but when he opened them he found that Kyoko's usually stoic features had been compromised, albeit just a little. There was that lovely blush on her cheeks and a glint of something more in her eyes. A smile on the slightly swollen pink lips he'd just put his own on for the first time.

"Not bad for a first kiss." She considered, chuckling a bit. She sounded just as out of breath as he felt. Makoto raised his eyebrows, a crooked little grin turning up one side of his mouth.

"Wow...oh man. I'll say. But how did you know it was my first?"

It was Kyoko's turn to show surprise.

"Yours? I meant...that this was *my* first. Was it yours too?"

Shock altered his features next. Had no one really ever...?! How could they not??

"I-it was!" Makoto exclaimed, smiling as a deep feeling of bonding grew inside of him. "We just shared a first kiss, and it was both our very first? Wow. How... special." He shook his head, hardly believing it. Kyoko's blush deepened.

"Indeed." She agreed, letting out what sounded like a sigh of relief. 

Her shoulders still seemed tense, however, and Makoto scooted closer to her side, motioning for her to rest on him. Hesitant, he could see her mull it over before silently doing as she'd been encouraged. Her weight rested on his arm and shoulder. And her hands were still in his.

"Are you tired?" Makoto inquired in a soft tone, already knowing the true answer. But she just shook her head. Stubbornly. He smiled.

"Kiri, um...do you think I could maybe stay here for the night? After everything that happened yesterday, I know I could...kinda use the company." Which was true enough. But more than that...he was scared to leave her alone. Scared to be without her again.

Kyoko was quiet for several very long moments, making him nervous that perhaps he'd stepped too far. He should have made it clear that he'd take the floor if he stayed. How disrespectful and stupid of him. His heart sank as he anticipated a 'no'.

But finally, she cleared her throat and straightened.

"Very well. It would probably be safer if we kept watch here together tonight." She agreed. Makoto's heart soared once again. He could hardly believe she'd said yes.

"Oh! Y-yeah! Definitely." He nodded his head just a little too enthusiastically. He caught Kyoko's smile.

With a sudden jolt, Makoto realized how close they still were, and how snugly their hands were still clasped together. He savored the feeling of her skin again before preparing to pull away.

"So, I'll set up on the floor when we're ready to-"

"That won't be necessary."

Makoto practically bit his tongue when she curtly interjected. Anxiety pricked his skin. Maybe she'd changed her mind?

"Er, that is..." Kyoko tried to mend, most likely feeling him stiffen with nerves. Her violet eyes looked up to his hazel, her head still in it's place on his shoulder. The strong, independent woman he knew was still there, but this different side of her was something he'd wanted to be privy to since day one.

"I couldn't possibly allow you to sleep on the floor. I'm certain we'll be quite comfortable in a more satisfactory arrangement."

Did she mean...

"I believe this mattress is wide enough to accommodate the both of us on each respective side. Don't you agree?" 

His heart hammering in his chest certainly agreed, but wouldn't allow him to voice it. He merely nodded in response. With one more glance at the locked door behind him, he resolved to take first watch so that Kyoko could get some rest. After all, she hadn't slept a wink the night before Mukuro's trial as she'd revealed later on in the courtroom, and he seriously doubted she'd gotten any before venturing down the trash chute to rescue him.

"I was...protecting you."

The least he could do was the very same for her now. He'd already decided to just conveniently "forget" to wake her up for her watch.

Later, Makoto lay beside her as he forced himself to stay awake in the wee hours of the night, Kyoko's warmth beside him both a brand new feeling and the most comforting thing in the world. Though he did his best not to tear his protective gaze from the door, he couldn't help but steal little glances at her sleeping form, the rise and fall of her breathing reassuring him that she was safe, she was real, and that she was beside him.

As one hand strayed to brush a loose strand of her long hair from her forehead, Makoto silently prayed that if and when they got out of there, she always would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Well dang, I forgot how sappy things got towards the end there. Hope it wasn't too much? :) Anyhow, thank you for reading! Learning about Kyoko's scars broke my heart, and it was hard to watch her be mocked by Monokuma when she had no choice but to reveal them during Chapter 6. Big yikes. I originally wrote this to put that discomfort to rest and because I headcanon Makoto as being very loving and accepting towards when it comes to the topic of Kyoko's scars. Also I'm really sorry if I messed up any major details, outside of me straying from the canon to insert an overnight recess during the last trial, that is. I tried to fact check my work as much as possible but also edited this while I was half asleep, haha.


End file.
